Electrical outlet boxes for placement within a wall or a floor are well known in the industry for providing convenient access to power. Typical outlet boxes are placed directly behind the wall or beneath the floor and are configured to receive an electrical receptacle. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates one such known outlet box for installation underneath a floor. Bracket 50 can be attached to the side of an existing floor joist. Outlet box 40 is attached to the side of bracket 50. During installation, the top of box 40 is aligned with the top edge of the flooring material. Screws (not shown) are then used to secure cover plate 10 and receptacle 30, with two separate receptacle outlets 31a and 31b, to the box 40. Caps 20 cover the holes in cover plate 10 when the respective receptacle outlets 31a and 31b are not in use. Upon installation of the outlet box 40 with receptacle 30 and cover plate 10 attached thereto, the receptacle outlets 31a and 31b are flush with the top of the flooring material.
Outlet boxes such as the one illustrated in FIG. 7 are problematic for several reasons. For example, in use, plugs from appliances that are plugged into the respective receptacle outlets 31a and 31b are located above the plane of the floor material. This is a problem because the plugs, being exposed, can be kicked by passers-by, knocked loose by furniture, or otherwise damaged. Additionally, an outlet box as shown in FIG. 7 is usable with flooring material of a fixed height. That is, if the flooring material at a particular installation site were extraordinarily thick, the receptacle within the outlet box would be too far below the floor surface to be easily reached. A further problem with the conventional outlet box shown in FIG. 7 is that the caps 20 swing in a single direction, i.e., outward and above the floor surface. Accordingly, when a cap 20 is opened to gain access to the respective receptacle outlet, the cap is exposed and lies on the floor surface creating a further obstacle to people, furniture and other objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,806 to Nelson discloses an electrical outlet fixture that can be selectively recessed within the floor material or positioned flush with the floor. As disclosed in the '806 patent, when the outlet fixture is not in use, the outlet is positioned flush with the floor in order to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance as opposed to leaving a cavity in the floor. To selectively maintain the receptacle flush with the floor or wall surface and also to recess the receptacle within the floor or wall, the outlet fixture disclosed in the '806 patent includes several parts and is, thus, complicated to manufacture.
A number of other outlet fixtures have been proposed which provide an adjustment means for adjusting the height of the outlet fixture relative to the installation surface, e.g., wall or floor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,878,877 to Cozzi et al. discloses an adjustable outlet box assembly that utilizes a telescoping adapter 14 that inserts within the outlet box 10. The outlet box 10 is attached to floor material using a pair of flanges that attach to the underside of the flooring surface. The telescoping insert box 30 is then inserted within the outlet box 10 and attached to the top surface of the floor material using a second set of flanges. A receptacle is then attached to the insert box flush with the top of the floor surface and a cover is placed over the receptacle. The structure of other proposed devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,015 to Taylor; U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,043 to Seymour and U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,673 to McShane are similarly complicated and include many individual parts.
There remains a need, therefore, for an electrical outlet box that addresses the aforesaid problems attendant with conventional and other known outlet box fixtures and also is easily manufactured and installed.